Kopp Sisters on the March

July 15, 2019
Set in the spring of 1917, Stewart’s enjoyable fifth Kopp Sisters novel (after 2018’s Miss Kopp Just Won’t Quit) finds the three Kopp sisters ready to do their bit as the U.S. prepares to enter WWI. They head off to the National Service School in Maryland, a camp to teach women ways to help the war effort. Constance, the eldest, is at loose ends after losing her job as sheriff’s deputy in Paterson, N.J. Middle sister Norma thinks the army will need her homing pigeons to carry messages from the battlefield. Fleurette, the youngest, plans to entertain the troops. All the volunteers have their own reasons for being there, but one in particular, the notorious real-life Beulah Binford, is hoping to finally put her past behind her. Flashbacks reveal Beulah’s role in a murder scandal. When Constance is recruited to run the camp, she quickly decides the girls should know more about preparedness than rolling bandages. Convincing characters behave in ways true to their era. Stewart does a wonderful job of illuminating a fascinating period in American history. Author tour. Agent: Michelle Tessler, Tessler Literary.